The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1887-11-03
Gordon i'm Ohio.

CINCINNATI, Oct 29.- In his speech
here last night Gov Gordon, OF Geor-
gia, alluded to the reception of jeff
Davis at Macon as follows;
"It is charged that we eheered jeff
Davis. Does that mean going to war
again? Let us reason. Suppose we
turned our backs on this pale faced
broken down old man? What did he
do that l hadn't done? | don't think
| shot anybody but tried pretty
hard. You might ask me to turn a
cold shoulder on The wife Of my bosom.
She went with me to the front. She
followed me to camp, shared my dan
gerous event to the picket, and at
times in danger OF battle, and under
providence / owe it to her tender nurs-
ing that my life was spared me. Why
should | hate her? five should turn
our backs on that man, refuse him
our sympathies, we would merit the
scorn of every brave man in this au.
dience, and you would feel an abso-
lutte contempt for us. When JEFF Da-
Wis left the United States Senate he
left it rich with regret and full OF polit-
ical honors. For our sakes he became
poor and debarred forever from politi
cal honors in his own country. He
fingers to-day with broken health and
scarcely a place to lay his head, drag
ging after him his wounded limbs
with increasing suffering that follow
ed him from Buena Vista. What
would you think OF me if said, "Go
hence | have no more use for you"
| am not going to do it. would have
contempt for General Meryon, who
sat on the stage, if he went back on
the grand old name of Abraham Lin
coin. Put yourself in the other fel-
lows place.
1t was my fortune few weeks ago at
Philadelphia to take part in the cele-
bration of the adoption of the consti-
tuition, and when Georgia had taken
her part | was proud, as l stood in the
streets, to see the shattered remnants
Of the Union army bearing those
shattered remnants of old flags and as
they were viewed by that October
light amid the shouts of ten thousand
throats, felt that thrill that / knew
was pulsing in the veins Of strong
grand men remnants of the grand
army OF the Republic. Why shouldn't
|? They were consecrated to the
cause which, to those who gathered
around them, was as holy as honor
and truth ] would have no faith in
home and liberty if those men did not
love their old flags. So, too, we loved
ours. Let us get out Of the universe
when hatred of the South is calico
loyalty to the North. | am going tC
show you that our children should
love their flags. A man is better who
has the nerve to do justice, whatever
it costs Was there any honor in car
rying these old flags? They, to were
woven by the patriotic hands of south
ern women. They were delivered t.
husbands and brothers ccnsecrate(
by tears and prayers. Some were ren
with bullets, blackened with gul
powder, and redeemed with the blooC
of the brave. Don't we build monu
ments to the Confederate dead? VIII,
General grant, the greatest General 0
the Union army, said he was willing
to share in the dedication of monu
, ment to the Confederate dead. Their
isn't good sense in it, and the maj
who tries to stir your passions doe
not deserve our votes. You see il
some of your papers column after col
umn about rebel flags, This is tn
truth. Twas there. There was in a.
that great central city of Macon, Ga
a dozen Confederate flags and fit
thousand of the stars and stripes, an
yet some people are so color-blind tina
they could not see anything but th
rebel flags, and yet the very carriag
that bore Jeff Davis and the horse
that drew him were literally covere
} with union flags. The very hous
] that he was in was so covered wit
: them as to almost blind him, Som
& speeches were made, a leader wa
chosen to present memento of affet
9 ton to his wife, and the great china
t of it was that the union was rehabi
9 itated on a Hrmer basis than ever.
= Ex-Governor Proctor Knott, of Kel